Hollywood praises ‘Jackie Robinson of politics’

Los Angeles: From Leonardo DiCaprio to Tom Hanks, Hollywood A-listers lent their voices to a farewell tribute honouring the outgoing US President Barack Obama.

In the video Yes We Can: Your Most Memorable Moments from the Obama Presidency, celebrities shared the achievements Mr Obama made during his tenure in the White House, reported People magazine.

The video was shared just one day before Mr Obama, 55, and his wife Michelle, First Lady of the United States, hosted a party for their friends and major donors at the White House.

Those in attendance included George and Amal Clooney, Robert De Niro, Nick Jonas, Jordin Sparks, Kelly Rowland as well as Chrissy Teigen and John Legend.

“When I was at the UN and I heard our president say that climate change is the most important issue facing, not only this generation but also future generations, it was inspiring,” Mr DiCaprio said in the clip.

Mr Hanks shared, “When he just changed all the rules on the table in regards to Cuba with the most succinct motivation imaginable, which is ‘What we’ve been doing hasn’t worked’ — which made all the sense in the world.”

For many celebrities, simply seeing his 2008 election was their favourite moment during the Obama administration. Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes reflected on watching the Obama family celebrate in Grant Park in 2008. “Just the magic of that moment — of that man, who we’d all been on this journey with, take that stage with his family. I was sitting at home in my living room and I felt like I was a part of that crowd in the park,” she said.

Samuel L Jackson said, “The moment that we got the Affordable Care Act passed, because I have relatives that can’t afford health insurance, so it was really a great thing to know that if something happened to them, they could get cared for.”

Ellen DeGeneres and Kobe Bryant looked back on the funnier moments from the last eight years.

And for Michael Jordan, Mr Obama’s legacy is what he will always remember. “How often do we remember Jackie Robinson — everybody knows him. To me, he will be the Jackie Robinson of politics.”